


Backstory Drabbles (Sans and Papyrus (Eventually Maybe Gaster))

by CrimsonFandomTrash



Series: Humantale Sanster Shenanigans [1]
Category: Humantale - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Angst and Feels, Babybones (Undertale), Big Brother Sans, Cinnamon Roll Papyrus, Depression, Family Fluff, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gaster Needs a Hug, Gen, Good W. D. Gaster, Growing Up, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Innocent Papyrus, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Orphans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, POV Third Person, Papyrus Being Papyrus, Past Child Abuse, Pining, Poor Sans, Poverty, Pre-Accident W. D. Gaster, Pre-Canon, Pre-Undertale, Protective Sans, Sans Needs A Hug, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Starvation, Substance Abuse, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use, W. D. Gaster is not related to Skelebros, Younger Brother Papyrus, humantale, shut up felix
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-02-07 04:45:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12833574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonFandomTrash/pseuds/CrimsonFandomTrash
Summary: The life of Snowdin's favorite brothers as they get older.(And maybe eventually a day (or more) in the life of the young Royal Scientist Sans starts pining over as a teenager)DISCONTINUED?





	1. From the Tender Age of Six

**Author's Note:**

> This is a human AU and is loosely connected to my Sanster fanfic! It's basically backstory for Sans and Papyrus. In this AU, humans are trapped Underground, Frisk and the other fallen are monsters, so naturally, monsters won the war and live on the surface, so the humans need seven monster souls. However, this is a few years before Chara even shows up in the Underground, so they don't have any of the souls they need yet, nor are they really trying, either. The King and Queen are still together, and Asriel probably hasn't even been born yet. Just figured I should point that out so no one gets confused and leaves me a comment like "Skeletons don't have *insert body part skeletons don't have here*". Yes, I'm aware. They aren't skeletons in this. They're humans. 
> 
> Sans grows up with chronic depression, I figured that was important to mention. A lot of this is going to focus on Sans' depression since it is such a problem for him growing up, but it isn't meant to be the main focus. The main focus of this is to kind of be a bit of a thing to read to help you guys understand my interpretation of Sans and Papyrus before the events of Don't Forget.
> 
> Only other important information to know, since this is loosely connected to my Sans x Gaster fic is that Gaster isn't related to Sans and Papyrus. In fact, Gaster's only five years older than Sans. So, no Dadster. Though anyone who has read my fics will know already that my Sans and Gaster aren't related, I use the lab partner headcanon. 
> 
> This is gonna have multiple chapters, since this is what I'm gonna be working on during my hiatus. What can I say, I can't just not write, and I can't write without posting, so I need something to post. Hence, this fic. A small ficlet to help me flesh out Sans and Papyrus' backstory. 
> 
> I might do a few chapters with some Gaster backstory too, who knows. 
> 
> With that said, please enjoy.

You can see your breath in front of you as you stare at the sign in front of you, lit up beautifully with Christmas lights. 

    ** _"Welcome To Snowdin!"_ **

It seems cheerful enough, and you wonder for a moment if you'd enjoy the sign more if your toes weren't freezing. You decided that was a definite, given the other times you've seen this sign. You'd lived here for a few months now. 

You're carrying a squirming bundle of joy in your one arm and a brown, paper bag full of groceries in the other. You look down at your younger brother. "Yeah, home sweet home, bro." You say quietly. Papyrus is only one and a half and is admittedly a bit slower than other kids. He can't talk yet, so he just babbles happily. You don't know why you felt the need to say that to him, given the fact that he wouldn't respond, and you know this. You sigh and start walking to your house, leaving the sign at the beginning of town behind you. 

The door to your house closes behind you and you sigh, setting your brother on the floor so he can go embark on some epic quest with the dust bunnies under the coffee table, or whatever floated his boat. He stood to his feet and waddled away from you, only getting a few feet before falling onto his butt. He didn't seem to mind. You smile a bit at him. "Can't believe how lucky we got tonight." You say. You dump your winnings out of the paper bag and onto the floor so you can take stock. You can't believe the grocery store was throwing this stuff away. All of it was either weeks or months away from the expiration date, so it wasn't like it was bad. A few boxes of cereal, some peanut butter, a few other things. You really were lucky to get this stuff. It was really expensive otherwise.

Despite being as young as you are (and you know this is a weird thought for a seven-year-old because most other kids your age aren't the most insightful), you have to wonder every now and then how you got lucky enough to get this house. It'd been abandoned when you found it when you were six, and no one had yet come to ask you to pay bills or anything like that. The electricity and heating and water were all working. Who was paying for this stuff? You sure weren't. You'd lived here for about a year now, since you'd been six then, and were seven now. You wondered if you'd ever find out who was paying for your utilities. Probably not. Still, you were grateful to have fewer things to worry about. 

Papyrus occupies himself with his toys as you put the stuff back in the bag and carry it to the kitchen. You're pretty short, so putting groceries away consists of putting the stuff in the cabinet under the sink and the fridge. One day, you were sure you'd be able to reach the top cabinets. Today was not that day. So, you put the cereal and the peanut butter and everything else under the sink.  

* * *

 When you awoke the next morning, you found yourself lying on the living room floor. This was a normal occurrence for you. You woke up on the floor almost every morning, given the fact that you were usually too tired to make it to the makeshift bed in your room (which was just some blankets folded on the floor). You looked around the room and saw your brother asleep only a few feet away. A smile tugged at the corner of your lips, seeing your brother sound asleep. His small arms were wrapped firmly around the stuffed monkey you'd gotten for the first Christmas you had both spent here, which was only a few days after you'd moved to Snowdin. 

\---

You'd been living there for about a week and then some before you'd been able to tell what day it was. The calendar in the Librarby (they spelled it wrong on the sign outside, even you, who had only turned seven apparently two days ago knew that) read December twenty-fourth. Christmas Eve. Of course, upon seeing that, you knew you had to get something for Papyrus for Christmas. Your poor little brother had taken to fidgeting with his own hands. He had energy, so much of it and nothing to do with it. No toys to play with to help him get rid of that energy, which is probably why even when you went to sleep, your brother stayed awake all alone.

It was through sheer determination and the kindness of strangers you'd been able to get the stuffed monkey. After struggling for a few hours to make any kind of money, much less more than the not enough you were usually able to get your hands on for meals, the Shopkeeper in town had taken pity on you. You didn't mind being a charity case every now and then, you just wished adults wouldn't treat you like you were entirely helpless. You'd thought you'd proven by now that you shouldn't be a charity case very often. You thought you handled things quite maturely, for your age. But, the Shopkeeper had seen that all you were buying at the end of the day was a singular cinnamon bunny, and by the look on your face, she must have noticed that you hadn't eaten in a few days now. Papyrus looked well fed and happy. So, as you made your purchase of the singular cinnamon bunny, you handed it to Papyrus and the hard-to-obtain 25G on the counter to pay her. She looked at you. You were pretty good at reading expressions, and hers had pity written all over it. "You know what, sweetie?" She said. She collected the coins you'd put on the counter into one of her hands. Her hand closed around the coins before she grabbed one of your much smaller hands and gave the coins back to you. "It's on the house. Merry Christmas."

You felt the blood rise to your cheeks in embarrassment from the warm gesture. "Oh, okay... Thank you." You managed meekly. Papyrus babbled nonsense as he ate his cinnamon bunny. 

"No problem, pumpkin." She said. She ruffled your hair. You were about to leave, and then she said, "Wait just a moment, don't leave yet." You stopped and turned back around to face her. Another cinnamon bunny sat on the counter, steaming hot. She smiled at you. "You didn't get one yet."

You shyly went and collected it from her, and she ruffled your hair again, making it more unruly than it had been. One of your parents must have had really fluffy hair. Even Papyrus' hair couldn't be tamed. "Thank you." You said, trying your best to make it sound sincere since it was. 

"What's your name again, honey?" She asked you. You were always hesitant to give people, especially adults your name, but this lady had been nice to you so many times already in the times you'd been in here since you arrived in Snowdin. So, you let your guard down and answered her. It was the least you could do since she was nice enough to just now give you 50 G worth of free food. 

"Sans." You said. You squeezed your brother's hand, who stood next to you, only a little under a year old, so he wobbled a bit on his feet. "And my brother is Papyrus." You added.

"Those are very lovely names." The Shopkeeper replied. You smiled a little. "From now on, my cinnamon bunnies are only 12 G for you and your brother. Special half off price, just for you. That sound good?"

You nodded your head a bit quickly. "Th-Thank you." You said again. You didn't know how to really thank her. Her kindness was too much, and you didn't think you'd ever find the words to properly thank her. She seemed to understand that, judging by her expression, so she only smiled a bit more at you.

"Have a wonderful night." She said. You waved a little before exiting the shop, hearing the bell above the door jingle on your way out.

You'd went to the toy shop with the money you had now- 25 G- and had Papyrus waddle clumsily through the store. As soon as he spotted the stuffed monkey, he zipped straight to it. You hadn't thought to check the price tag, but as it sat on the counter along with the money, you'd seen it cost 35 G, and your soul sank. The person at the counter counted your money and looked like they were about to say something about it not being enough money- but, then they looked at you, and then looked at the calendar, and they shut their mouth. The put the money in the register, and you could have leaped for joy as they started to put the monkey in a bright orange gift bag and handed it to you. You think your eyes spoke the 'thank you' your mouth didn't, though, the cashier said, "Thank you, come again." As if you'd been the one to contribute to their day, and not the other way around. You only nodded a little to them before you left the store and went home with a full stomach and a present for your brother.

\---

Papyrus hadn't parted with the stuffed animal since then, and it'd been almost an entire year. He carried it everywhere with him, and it had the dirt to prove it. You were gonna have to eventually wash that thing, before your brother got sick from it or something, but it'd be impossible before getting him a stuffed animal he liked just as much. You'd gotten him a stuffed hippo and a stuffed bear a few months later. Neither could quite live up to the hype of the monkey. You were pretty sure the monkey was the idle of your brother's made up religion or something. He kinda treated it like a god, and even probably listened to the monkey more than he listened to you. As long as the monkey didn't tell Papyrus to do anything bad, you were fine with being second best. 

You were still tired, and thirty minutes later, Papyrus still wasn't awake, so you laid back down on the living room floor. You figured you should get some more sleep before you had to get up and work. You relaxed fully, letting yourself drift to sleep easily. 


	2. You Start Getting Boners, and the Whole World Gets Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It should be mentioned this won't be in order. It won't go from him being seven to eight to nine. More like seven, thirteen, ten, eight, so on and so forth (that's not a predetermined order, just an example to show how all over the place this fic is gonna be). Once I finish it, if you guys want, I'll release another version of the story in chronological order, though, I don't think it'll be necessary. Y'all are probably intelligent enough to make a timeline in your head. This particular drabble is set when Sans is 13/14, so that makes Papyrus 8/9.

The first time Papyrus heard your voice crack, he laughed. "Cmon, Pap, lay off." You whined defensively. Your voice cracked again. Papyrus found it hilarious. You were sarcastically glad that he found your suffering amusing. At least it brought some sort of excitement to his life. You huffed in annoyance as he kept laughing. Still, you couldn't get quite mad at him. Sometimes, you wished you could, and then he'd do something any sweetheart little kid would do, and you'd find yourself wrapped around his finger again. Papyrus' giggling ceased a bit.

"Your voice sounds funny." He said. He grinned. 

Goddamnit, you were wrapped around his finger again. You knew that was gonna happen. You sighed a little. "Yeah, I know." You said. Your voice cracked more. You felt like shit. There was no reason your voice should crack this much when everyone else your age became hotter and hotter. The only transformation you'd made lately was zits and weight gain. Puberty was treating you worse than poverty already had. There was no winning. "Stop laughing, please?" You asked. You really hated that he was bringing it up. Just because you couldn't get mad at him didn't mean you wanted to sit there and continue to take it, either. So, of course, the first thing you thought to do was to ask nicely. This is Papyrus, after all. Your brother couldn't be purposefully rude even if his life depended on it. 

Papyrus' smile faltered, and he frowned, though he didn't say anything; which, you honestly preferred. You liked that your brother didn't make a big deal out of apologizing or anything like that. You didn't really deserve forgiveness since he was better than you in more ways than one, to begin with, and it just made everyone's life easier if small stuff like that was brushed under the rug, anyhow. "Why is your voice like that, though?" Papyrus asked. This was something you were okay with. Cheeky insults were one thing, curiosity was another. You couldn't blame Papyrus for being curious.

"Puberty." You answered simply, shrugging. "Just a thing everyone goes through, eventually. Your voice gets deeper, and you grow hair in places hair didn't use to grow." 

"Oh," Papyrus said. "So is my voice gonna sound weird one day, too?"

"Yup, more than likely." You answered. Papyrus looked like he had to come to terms with that fact. His frown deepened. 

It was easy to get Papyrus to get to sleep. All you had to do was read him a few pages of his favorite book- Peekaboo with Fluffy Bunny- and he was out like a light. You, on the other hand... Eheh. Getting to sleep was a struggle. Nothing that should take zero effort should be so hard. You thought this very annoyedly as you laid in bed for another hour and a half after you'd put Papyrus to sleep. The only thing normal people did to fall asleep was lying still and quiet with their eyes closed for a little while, and they fell asleep. Your body didn't seem to understand how it worked, despite the fact that sleep was supposed to be as normal of a function as using the toilet and breathing. You don't remember when it started. 

After you'd been lying there for two hours and then some, you finally decided you weren't going to be able to sleep tonight. That was fine. You'd gone days and days without sleep before, you could do it again. You didn't care how unhealthy that was. It wasn't like you could do anything about it. You literally could not sleep. You looked it up on Google once, and it told you that it's called insomnia. You were kinda happy to have a name to go with it. Apparently, insomnia usually led to other issues, but you weren't really concerned about that. What was the worst that could happen?

So, you couldn't sleep, and now you had several hours to have to stay awake just so you could get your brother off to school, which means your body couldn't decide to do its dumb microsleep thing. You needed to get your brother to school on time. It was important to you that he got a proper education, given the fact that you couldn't. Papyrus really liked school, too. You decided what better to keep you up than some reading? You hadn't been keeping up with your science studies recently, and how were you supposed to get that scientist job you wanted in a few more years if you didn't? It was already gonna be difficult, if not nearly impossible for you to get such a good job, given that you weren't getting a proper education. The best thing you had for an education was reading a few astronomy and quantum physics books from the Librarby (they still hadn't fixed that sign). Oh, and you occasionally read notes on The Core written on the Royal Scientist's blog. That was it. 

Speaking of the Royal Scientist... Where to even begin? In the few pictures you'd seen of this very important figure, you'd found yourself hooked on the older man. A sort of celebrity crush. You were smart enough to understand you'd probably never have any kind of chance with someone like that. Not to mention he was an adult, and you were still a kid, technically speaking. That didn't seem to stop you from having a fixation on him. He looked really nice, a bit snobby, maybe, but he looked like someone who would have a nice sense of humor underneath all his professional protocol. 

But, of course, you were being silly. Again, you were fourteen. He was nineteen. It was never gonna happen. You didn't even know if he even liked guys. Knowing your luck, probably not, but knowing your luck, even if he did like guys, he'd never like someone like you. You're not exactly the pinnacle of physical appearances. Again, everyone else your age was in shape. You technically were, too, if round counted as a shape. You don't have the best personality, either. You were a bit of an annoying asshole, in your own opinion. Cracking those bad jokes no one liked, showing up wherever you wanted, whenever you wanted. You were a nuisance. So, as you scrolled past another picture on Mr. Hotshot Royal Scientist's blog of him and King Asgore, you couldn't help but feel cross with yourself for liking someone you'd never even met. 

Two hours passed seamlessly, but that didn't mean you weren't tired. No, you were tired to hell and back. You just knew that if you fell asleep now, you wouldn't be able to wake up in time to get Papyrus to school. Your brother needed that education. He needed the leg up you weren't able to have so that he could be comfortable well into his adult life. Above all else, the only thing that mattered to you was making sure Papyrus knew little to nothing about suffering. Papyrus deserved better, so you were going to make sure your brother got better. 

Three hours later, and your eyelids felt heavy. You had to struggle to keep them open. You were so tired, your eyes were even beginning to hurt. You had a headache, the room was spinning, your head felt light, and all of these sensations combined with fatigue was making you feel a bit sick, not to mention frustrated. You weren't usually a very emotional person, but this was so annoying, you almost wanted to cry. Why was it that you couldn't just sleep? Such a natural, needed thing and your body wouldn't even let you do it. Just another thing you could add to the list of things everyone else in the world but you could competently do. To be fair, there was a google search for this condition, so there were other people- maybe even some of the monsters on the surface- who could relate to this, but you were being too much of a drama queen at the moment to remember that. You just wanted a full night's rest. You were so sick of surviving on naps and nights with two hours of sleep. It was just so... Tiring. You guess Google wasn't lying. This insomnia thing was definitely messing with your emotional well being, too. 

It wasn't like there was anything you could do about it, though. So, you kept going. You had to stay awake. 

The next few hours passed by in a blur, and soon enough it was time to get Papyrus up for school. Your brother tried to conversate with you, which didn't work too well, given the fact that your focus was all out of whack. You didn't hear anything he was saying, so all you did was smile and nod. Papyrus still wasn't a very perceptive person, so you felt bad that your brother was being fooled so easily into thinking you were listening. If you could focus on what he was saying, you would. You just physically couldn't. The only reason you were pretending to listen and not actually listening was that pretending to listen probably sounded more genuine right now than actually listening would have. You would have lost track of what he was talking about, would have asked too many questions, and then he would have thought you weren't listening, anyway. Even if you had to fool your brother, wasn't it just easier to lie and make him happy than to try to be truthful and end up making him feel unwanted? You reminded yourself to slap yourself across the face later for being such a buttface right now. Papyrus deserved to be listened to. Even if you weren't physically capable right now, Papyrus was at least worth the effort. You were taking the easy way out. This was, although effective, still wrong. You didn't deserve to be getting away with this right now, but you were. So that was all there was to it. You were pretending to listen to Papyrus' every word, and your younger brother was just buying it. 

"Brother, is it okay if I spend the weekend at Undyne's?" 

This you actually heard. You looked at Papyrus for a second. "Uh, yeah. Sure thing, bro." You said. Papyrus exclaimed something happy that you didn't catch, and you blinked your eyes a few times, and he'd left for school just like that. Without you. You didn't really like the concept of Papyrus walking himself to school, but you figured he was a big enough boy to handle himself for one day. Everyone in town (except the kids your own age) loved Papyrus. If anything were to happen to your younger brother, half of Snowdin would probably come to his rescue. That was kind of a relief. If anything ever happened to you for some reason to the point where you couldn't take care of Pap (like dying or something, you were pretty weak and pretty small for your age, so dying for no reason was always a likelihood for you), at least half of Snowdin would adopt your brother. Papyrus brought light with him wherever he went. Sometimes, you think he was the only thing keeping you and half a dozen other people hopeful for the future. That you would one day be free. Things were getting so bleak and hopeless down here...

You must have dozed off because when you woke up and checked the time on your phone, you noticed it was eight PM. Damn. You slept the day away at your dining table. You had a text from Papyrus informing you that he'd made it safely to Undyne's after school. You don't remember giving him permission to go to Undyne's, but you're having a problem remembering much of anything right now, and knowing you, you probably did tell Papyrus he could go there. He wouldn't have gone there if you said no. He was a rule follower, not a rule breaker. Even if you had said no, you couldn't get mad at Papyrus for going to see Undyne. She was his only friend. You had a really bad feeling that Undyne was probably going to continue to be his only friend for a long time to come because people just didn't really get him. Your brother was underappreciated. He was so kind, and pure, and all he wanted was to have friends. No one ever paid him any attention at school. You felt really bad.

Papyrus had asked you only a few weeks ago what it was like to have friends. "I dunno," You shrugged. "I don't really have friends, bro."

"What about all those people you hang out with at Grillby's sometimes?"

"Eh... They're more like acquaintances." You said. It was true. You didn't consider anyone in Grillby's, save for the bartender himself to be your friend. You didn't know anything about them, and they didn't know anything about you. They couldn't really be called friends.

Papyrus disagreed and said that those people were still technically your friends. You all had a lot in common, like greasy food and even more recently, alcohol. They laughed at your horrible jokes. You told your brother that they were just being neighborly. Everyone who was at Grillby's regularly (save for Grillby himself) lived in Snowdin, or somewhere close to Snowdin. You told Papyrus the only reason they were nice to you was because they lived so close. Small town niceness. That was it. You yourself refused to believe anyone in there actually liked you. Papyrus dropped the subject, and you'd started helping him with his homework. 

So now you were probably gonna be home alone all weekend. You had to admit, things got uncomfortably lonely when Papyrus wasn't here. You couldn't just keep him home to keep you company, though. Your brother had an actual friend, and sometimes it felt like Undyne was more of a sister than a friend. She was the older sibling to him when you couldn't be. Like that time you had a breakdown, and Undyne had to make dinner while you tried to regain your breath locked away in the bathroom. Papyrus was none the wiser, Undyne had told him that you were taking a really long shower. Of course, when you came out and your hair wasn't wet, and you were still wearing the same clothes, Papyrus got suspicious, but you told him you had no clean clothes to change into (which probably hadn't been a lie) and that you hadn't washed your hair. Papyrus asked what the purpose of getting a shower was if you were just gonna put dirty clothes back on, you made some dumb water pun, and he threw a fake tantrum. You could tell he was smiling though, and you pointed it out. "You're smilin', bro"

"I know, and I hate it!"

You sighed as you scrolled through the Royal Scientist's most recent notes on The Core. progress was steady, it seemed. Dr. Gaster estimated it'd be finished by next year. Cool. That meant that the electricity in the Underground would be better soon. You were sick of the lights going out whenever they damned pleased. You had to go into the basement and mess around with the electric box at least a few times a week, which was a few times too many for your liking. You moved from the chair you hadn't left in 12+ hours and went over to the couch as you continued to scroll on your phone, looking for something to distract you from your thoughts. 


	3. This, This, I Could Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After struggling with a bit of a drinking problem, and losing his job, Sans finds something in the paper that he thinks could be the answer. 
> 
> The timeline on this one is very loose, and there isn't a whole lot of dialogue, since this is meant to be over an extended amount of time. I think this is from when he's about fourteen until eighteen. It's a bit late for New Years, but here, have this backstory that kinda comes full loop with Don't Forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it's not obvious, I'm not continuing the Party one shot. I didn't like the direction it was going in, so that's deleted, not even a cannon part of this timeline anymore.

There was something about choosing to stay awake until a certain time that you really liked. That was why one of your favorite holidays was New Years. Your birthday had just passed, so you got a year older before the year refreshed and began anew, and there was something really cool about that to you. You didn't really know why. You could have given in at nine when your eyes had started to feel heavy, and your baby brother was already asleep. Something, though, kept you awake until everyone in the Underground would stand outside their homes and cheer, despite the ever-looming gloomy reality of life in the Underground; that even with any year that passed, they were trapped down there for who knew how much longer?

Of course, as you grew older, staying up late became easy, especially once you had other reasons to stay up all night, like thinking about ~~how you were gonna feed Papyrus tomorrow, how were you gonna feed yourself, how were you gonna defend yourself against the big kids~~ important stuff. And so, New Years became, you didn't have to stay up because it was New Years. You had to stay up on New Years because it was just another day. And so you reflected on this fact, ~~very~~ a bit drunk... Because Papyrus was asleep, and you could. Though, after that year, Papyrus started staying up, and you didn't know if you could ever bring yourself to do something like that in front of him. You didn't even know how to explain it to him. 'Hey, baby brother, sometimes people have to use stuff that fucks up their body in order to keep going. Now watch me chug this entire bottle of Jack Daniels' didn't seem appropriate. You knew you shouldn't do this at all, and that Papyrus staying awake was whatever deity in the sky's way of telling you not to, pending if there was a god or not (you weren't buying it).

And then Undyne started staying the night on New Years, since she could, and since Papyrus stayed up long enough now to go outside and make noise with the other happy people. Come to think of it, you'd never even thought to go join in on that. You didn't know if you even knew how to scream. So, then there were more reasons to avoid drinking on that night of the year, because how were you supposed to explain it to either of them? Papyrus would just be sad and would think it was something he could fix, but Undyne... Undyne would know better. Your brother wasn't stupid, but he was a bit clueless and flighty, whenever his wit wasn't really necessary. Undyne, though, would be concerned, maybe even to the point of confronting you. You didn't want confrontation. You just wanted a quiet way out. That was one way to do it. 

All the health books in the Libraby (they still hadn't fixed the sign) had told you that using alcohol in this way was unhealthy. You... Didn't really care. At the end of the day, whatever worked, worked. Plus, you weren't a baby anymore. You were sixteen and already making harder choices than most full grown adults, and had been for ten years now. You had to admit, if only ever to yourself, that it was... tiring. Just exhausting. You figured you deserved to be allowed to leave that for one night out of three-hundred sixty five.

So, when Undyne did finally approach you about it...

Yikes.

The kid was only thirteen, starting to go through her awkward teen years, with her face covered in pimples, and yet she stood taller than you. She didn't even need to say much before you started dreading in your head. "Sans, about last night..."

Papyrus had passed out, and you hadn't been the most graceful, pouring yourself a cup right in front of her. You brushed it off, told her that was the only time you ever drank was on New Years, because it wasn't a lie. She asked if you were sure, and you said, "Look, I'm too busy to drink. I only get New Years and Christmas off."

She gave in and told you she believed you. You would have felt bad if you'd been lying. It wasn't a lie, then, but... You couldn't help but notice she was starting to become right as time passed and you did get more opportunities.

The first job you'd had was a comedy gig at Grillby's. He'd been nice enough to give you the job. Of course, you couldn't blame him for firing you once his business had started going through rough times, and he even gave you a bottle of your favorite as compensation, and gave you more money ('overtime') on your last paycheck and an apology. "No sweat," You'd told him. "Was grateful to have the job in the first place. Thanks for havin' me."

So, now you were an unemployed adult, with a kid to take care of at home. You were too old to train with the older kids anymore, and the older kids were too old now, too. They were adults now, too. So, that source of income wasn't a choice anymore. 

And then the answer hit you. Literally. As you zipped up your jacket and stepped into the cold from the warmth of Grillby's, final paycheck in your pocket, and bottle of your favorite tucked under your arm, the wind blew fiercely, and carried with it a copy of the New Home Times. Removing the offending paper from where it had smacked you in the face, you read an ad, put there by King Asgore Dreemurr himself. You read it under your breath.

"Help wanted, lab assistant needed..."


	4. (Alternate Universe NOT CANNON) A Friend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans meets someone who wants to help.
> 
> THIS IS NOT CANNON, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT. CANNON. THIS IS ALL SPECULATION. THIS DOESN'T ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN THE DON'T FORGET UNIVERSE. IT'S AN ALTERNEATE UNIVERSE. Thanks for not getting confused and thinking this actually happened lol. Nah, I just wanted to write a little what if scenario.

You were, admittedly, very smart. Sometimes, however, you ignored how smart you were, and acted pretty recklessly, trying to cling to any scrap of enjoyment you could find in life. This was one of those times.

It was like any other day. You and Papyrus were in Waterfall, and you were trying to make that last little bit of gold you needed for a meal at Grillby's. Papyrus complained about being tired and hungry, and as he did so, you tried to think of something to take his mind off it. Before you could think of a solution, though, you stumbled across one of the older children you usually trained with. After you fought with them, they gave you a bit of gold for winning the fight, and you finally had enough money to feed Papyrus. "Cmon, buddy, let's go get some grub at Grillby's. I'll race ya." You said. Papyrus seemed pleased with this set of words since he started running off. You gave him a headstart before running after him, making sure to keep him in your line of sight.

You'd never teleported so fast in your small life before.

Papyrus kept running forward, and collided with someone, not looking where he was going. Upon seeing this, and taking into account the person he'd bumped into was much bigger than him, and Papyrus had managed to make them fall down, too, you got a bad feeling in your gut about the bigger kid. You skidded to a halt before teleporting in front of Papyrus and picking him up off the ground before he hid behind you, and you stood your ground. You didn't look away from the older kid for a second.

The kid, who was even older than you blinked, soft purple eyes behind a pair of round glasses. The glass in one of them was cracked, and you weren't sure if that was Papyrus' doing or not. "O-Oh, geez, I'm s-s-sorry...!" The kid said quietly, looking like he wanted to curl up on himself and disappear...

He obviously... Wasn't a threat. And you kind of looked like you were about to attack him. He was scared of you. You, an eight-year-old kid, when he looked to be at least a few years older than you. His arms were raised in a defensive way as if he expected you to attack him...

You didn't know why, but you felt bad for him.

"Uh... I'm not gonna hurt you..." You said. He looked relieved to hear that, but he also looked cautious. You held a hand out to help him up and he flinched a little. "Here, get up." You said. He cautiously took your hand and stood up, not actually needing your help, and- WOW HE WAS TALL-

You had to crane your neck back to look at him entirely and he stepped back a little, brushing the dirt off his pants and the baggy sweater he was wearing. "Sorry, my bro knocked you over. We were racing home." You said.

"Sorry, stranger!" Papyrus chimed from behind you.

"I-it's okay," The other boy said. "It's p-probably my fault, I'm, um, clumsy, and blind, eheh..." He chuckled nervously.

"Um, my name is Sans." You said. You didn't know why you were introducing yourself, you'd never bothered to be social with older kids before, save for the ones you trained with. You had a feeling this kid didn't like fighting.

"My name is, um, Gaster." He said. Gaster... Huh. What a nice name. "P-pleased to meet you..."

"I'm Papyrus!"

"Uh, bro," You said, turning to Papyrus. "Why don't you run off to Grillby's without me? I'll give you money to get some food."

You usually didn't like leaving Papyrus all alone, but you were right outside of Snowdin now. Papyrus knew his way and no one in Snowdin would ever hurt him. Everyone in Snowdin loved him. "Okie dokie!" He said. You gave him fifteen G and he ran off, leaving only you and the older boy.

Gaster looked confused. "Why are you guys all alone...? Your parents let you go out by yourself...?"

If you had a thousand G for every time you've explained something of this nature... Well, maybe things could be better for you and Papyrus. "We don't have parents. It's just me and him."

Gaster's eyes widened in disbelief. "You don't have parents...? Who takes care of you?"

"Me." You answered. He looked you up and down for a moment.

"How old are you?"

"Eight."

"How long have you... Not had parents...?" He asked. You did some quick math in your head.

"Uhhh, about two years." You didn't think it was possible for this other boy to get any paler, given how pale his skin was, to begin with, but he managed it somehow.

"J-Jeez..." He said. "Um... Do you... need any help...?"

As if to spite you, your stomach growled loud enough for both of you to hear. "Uh, no, I'm good."

"But you sound and look hungry. When's the last t-time you ate?"

Why did you feel the need to be so honest with this kid you just met? Something about him, just... "Don't worry 'bout me," You said, trying to play it cool and failing. He still looked very concerned... "I'll be fine."

And then your stomach growled again.

"Seriously, when's the last time you ate...?" He asked again. "You l-look like a skeleton..."

Ah jeez, when was the last time you ate...? You started counting on your fingers and lost track at some point, your brain feeling like static. "Uhhhmmm... I dunno." You said. Stars, you were really hungry... But that shouldn't have turned into his problem. You'd done well enough at keeping yourself alive these past two years. You didn't really need his help, right...?

Gaster frowned. "I'm buying you something to eat." He said resolutely.

"That's not really-"

"No, I'm buying you something to eat. Where was it you and your brother were headed?"

"Grillby's, but-"

"Where's that?"

"Snowdin, but, dude-"

"Sounds like we're going to Grillby's." He said. He started dragging you by the arm, and as much as you wanted to struggle, reject his help, you just couldn't muster the energy to do it.

When you stopped outside the building, he looked up at the sign to confirm it was the right place. The sign read 'Grillby's' in glowing neon letters. "This is it?" Gaster asked. You nodded before getting pulled into the restaurant.

Why was he being so nice to you...? He didn't even know you...

When your brother spotted you with the older boy he waved frantically and happily, spaghetti sauce all over his face. You and Gaster slid into the booth he was sitting at, you, next to Papyrus, and Gaster sitting across from the two of you. You grabbed a napkin from the napkin dispenser on the table and started cleaning your brother's face as he giggled. Grillby noticed you (and the new kid) almost right away, and he made his way over. "Heeey, Grillbz." You said.

"Hello, Sans," The bartender greeted."Are you getting anything today?'

Sans spared Gaster a glance, who, despite looking like he was gonna throw up, gave him this concerned side glare. "Yeah, can I get a burg...?"

"Would you like some fries?"

"Yeah, that'd be cool, too." You said. Grillby scribbled your order down before disappearing into the kitchen.

Gaster sat there looking absolutely ill with fear the entire time you were there. He looked so relieved to get out the restaurant after he paid for the meal, though you had to wonder if the reason he didn't get himself anything was that he was afraid of it coming back up. He offered to walk you home, and you accepted, not really wanting him to leave, for whatever reason.

Papyrus ran into the house as soon as you got there, and Gaster flinched a little when the door slammed. Papyrus had a bad habit of doing that, slamming the door without meaning to. "Um... Thanks, for the food..." You said.

"Y-You're welcome..." Gaster replied. He rubbed his arm, and you caught sight of the bandages around his hands. Wonder why those were there... "Don't, um, ever hesitate to look for me if you need help. I'm in Waterfall a lot."

Sans nodded. The older boy looked torn for a moment as if he was debating with himself. "I gotta get home, now. My... Grandad will be looking for me if I don't show up."

"Okay." You said. You really didn't want him to leave... He was the only person to ever be that nice to you. "Bye, Gaster."

"Bye, Sans."

And with that, he turned around and walked towards Waterfall.


	5. (Alternate Universe, NOT CANON) Hello There, Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sans bumps into an old friend.

You apparently didn't know how to behave yourself while you were in Waterfall. Though to be fair, you'd forgotten all about the encounter that had occurred a little over two years ago, and you were in a rush to get home to Papyrus, who you'd left with Undyne. Papyrus and Undyne shouldn't be allowed alone in a building for very long, lest you wanted to come home to flames swallowing your once intact house.

So, as mentioned, you were in a rush, having made enough for all of you to eat tonight, Undyne included. You were running, which you hadn't done in forever, and quite honestly, it felt nice, running through Waterfall as water drops from the ceiling pitter-pattered on the ground around you, some rogue drops splashing on your head or your arms every now and then, the air cool and refreshing. You were... Actually having fun. So much fun, in fact, that you hadn't been looking where you were going- and one second you were running, the next, you were on your butt, shaking your head quickly in an attempt to ground yourself. You looked up to see a familiar figure, who seemed to recognize you, too.

"Fancy running into you, again." He said. He held out a hand, and- wait, hadn't his hands been bandaged the first time you met, too?- you took the offer as he pulled you to his feet, a notebook clutched to his chest and a pen behind his ear.

You laughed a bit at the joke your older... Friend? Had made, because wow, that was clever, and took in some other details about Gaster. He was taller, Of course, but hey! You'd grown a bit, too, in the past couple of years, so the ratio was almost the same. Though he probably had grown more inches than you, since he seemed taller than you than what he was the last time... His dark brown hair was almost wild, though noticeably shorter than the last time you'd seen him, and, get this- he was growing a bit of a mustache. Just a few stray dark hairs on his upper lip that showed that time had passed by. He was still wearing a baggy sweater, though something about Gaster, in general, told you he just had a closet full of them.

Oh, you hadn't replied yet. "Wow, I... Didn't think I'd ever see you again. What's, um... What's up?" Sans, no. What were you doing? Finger guns, really? You just made this so much more awkward than it had to be. To make matters worse, you even threw in one of those god-awful winks you were so fond of while delivering the punchline of a joke. The only joke here was your social skills.

Gaster didn't seem too bothered by your social skills, and then you remembered the time he'd taken you to Grillby's, and how sick he'd looked the entire time you were there, trying to bury his head in his arms just enough so he could avoid people, but not to the point where you or Papyrus would have asked questions. You were going to, but feeling confrontation wasn't his favorite thing, you ignored your urge to understand why Gaster looked the way he did. Now you understood entirely. Your older friend shifted from one foot to the other, tucking the notebook under his arm as he answered you. "Well, I'm... Graduating school, soon." He said, his voice shaking a little, though his tone remained happy.

"Heyyy," You said, "This is a completely random question, but it like, bothered me since the first time we met... How old are you?"

You had been very curious about that, last time, too. You just never found the opportunity to ask. This wasn't necessarily the time... But you needed an answer. Regardless, Gaster wasn't weirded out or confused by that question, or if he was, he just didn't show it while he answered you. "I'm fifteen."

Your eyes went wide in disbelief. "You're graduating at _fifteen_?"

"I'm training to be the Royal Scientist, too... The king said, um, that I'd be the youngest Royal Scientist in history." Wow... And he didn't even speak with a stutter anymore. Time really _had_ passed. Though Gaster frowned, and you wondered if you had messed up somehow before he said, "Where's your brother...?"

"Oh, he's at home with a babysitter." You said. "His best friend, actually, but... Most full-grown adults are scared of her, so I leave her in charge of him a lot. I don't really take him with me that much, anymore." You were gonna exclude the reasoning, which of course was that if anyone should get beat and battered by bullies, it shouldn't be him. In a perfect world, neither of you would have to, but the Underground was a small, dark place, full of darker people. Even the kids.

"You've been okay...? Haven't, um, starved too much, I hope?"

You still didn't understand why he was so worried about you, though it might have been because he was a lot older than you. You were only being conceived by the time he would have been old enough to start school. Hell, he'd be an adult in three years, and you would only just be a teenager. "I, uh... Well, sometimes there just isn't much that can be done, ya know...?" You rubbed the back of your neck. "I try my best, but some nights, Pap's still the only one who can eat."

"Are you hungry right now, or do you need anything else? Medical treatment? I'm taking a first aid class." You were pretty sure at this point that his only motive behind asking these things was because you were a kid. Grown-ups were never questioned on whether or not they had enough to feed themselves, but... You were ten with an unofficial job. You could see where his concern was coming from.

"No, I'm okay." You answered. You noticed something else about him; his voice was getting deeper. It was that puberty thing you'd read about in that Health book you found in the garbage, huh? It only emphasized the age difference between you. You sounded like you belonged in fifth grade and he sounded like he belonged in ninth. "I was just heading home when I, uh... Bumped into you."

"Could I walk with you?"

You wanted to get home quickly, but admittedly, you wanted to spend time with him. He was about to graduate and become the Underground's youngest Royal Scientist. You had so many questions you wanted to ask, especially about science in general. You loved science, and whenever you could find the time, you'd bury your head in a science book and disappear from the real world for as long as you could. Reading was very comforting to you... Made this prison seem a bit more open than it was. "Yeah, sure." You said.

You and he must have been walking for a few minutes when you came up to an area with a log bridge over a body of glowing blue water below. Gaster tucked his notebook under the hem of his pants and slid his sweater over it, and the sleeves rolled up in the process just enough for you to catch sight of some nasty burns that looked like they'd come from a cigarette... You kept quiet and watched as he walked across the log, arms held out like he was on a balance beam. You followed behind him, mimicking what he was doing. "So, what kind of science do you do?"

"Astronomy, souls, and physics." Souls? There was soul science? Well, there was magic science, and you knew that from the textbooks at the Librarby (you wondered to yourself if they were ever gonna fix that sign). Gaster jumped off the end of the log and dropped his hands back down to his sides, grabbing his notebook from where his clothes had been holding it- you really hoped those burns on his arms were just mistakes, maybe someone he lived with was really clumsy, or something- before tucking the notebook under his arm and waiting for you. You jumped off the end of the log onto the ground, too, and you continued walking.

"Astronomy is space stuff, right? Like stars."

"Yeah." He replied. "I was going to mess around with chemistry, but, um... The last time I did that, the class blew up... And we weren't even working with chemicals that should have been capable of blowing up... Eheheh..."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

You were in a room full of echo flowers, and everyone simply knew this place as the wishing room. However, you both stayed silent the entire time you went through the room. Only after you exited the room did you ask, "So, don't you have any wishes to make?"

"...Hmmm, just one, but..." He hesitated, taking the pen from behind his ear and twirling it in his fingers. "It's kind of stupid."

"Don't say that!" You said, not wanting him to think anything he would want would ever be stupid. Wishes weren't stupid. They were perfectly normal things to have. Everyone had at least one wish in life. "Come on, I promise I won't laugh."

"... If I say my wish, you promise you won't laugh...?"

"Of course I won't laugh." You said.

"Someday," He said, "I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around... That's my wish." You laughed, anyway. "Hey, you said you wouldn't laugh at it...!" He said, sounding jokingly offended.

"Sorry, it's just funny... That's my wish, too."

Reaching Snowdin took forever, though you wished it had taken longer. You weren't ready for him to leave and go become famous while you just faded into the background, especially since he'd been nowhere to be found whenever you looked before. You felt like... Gaster was actually comfortable around you, even though his first impressions of you reminded you of a frightened mouse trying to scurry away. Truth be told, you were kind of comfortable around him, too, and you really felt like you could be really good friends. "This is my stop." You said, voice a little forlorn when you both stopped in front of the house with Christmas lights wrapped around it like it was every day of every year.

"Do you... Have a cell phone, Sans?" He asked. You nodded a little, pulling a phone out of your pocket.

"I found this one at the Dump." You said. He gently took the phone from you and flipped the screen up, pushing a few of the little buttons on the keypad before handing it back to you.

"You have my phone number, now." He said. "If you ever need, just call, okay?"

Joy of joys, you wouldn't have to search Waterfall top to bottom again. You nodded. "Thanks."

"Seeya, Sans."

"Bye."

And with that, he left, though you had a feeling you'd definitely see him again.

 

 

 

**_Bonus:_ **

You didn't usually take strolls through Waterfall anymore, since your days of scrounging for money were over, and you started your sentry duties in Waterfall yet, you were waiting on a paper to see if you even got the position. Today though, you needed to clear your mind, get out of the house, even though getting out of the house was something you'd avoided doing for a few months, ever since... No, don't think about that. You went for a walk to clear your head. You were gonna clear your head. You had to forget about him, even just for one minute; thinking about him hurt too much.

The sound you expected to hear in Waterfall was water, not echo flowers. Today, though, they seemed particularly chatty, as every single flower you passed had something to say.

_"So, don't you have any wishes?"_

You stopped in your tracks as soon as you heard it.

 _"... Hmmm, just one, but..."_ The other voice paused before continuing. _"It's kinda stupid."_

The flowers continued. _"Don't say that! Come on, I promise I won't laugh."_

_"... If I say my wish, you promise you won't laugh...?"_

_"Of course I won't laugh."_

_"Someday, I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under." He'd never gotten to do that... "Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around... That's my wish."_ You hear your own laughter, something you haven't heard in months, before he says, _"Hey, you said you wouldn't laugh at it...!"_

 _"Sorry,"_ Your younger voice said with a genuine, happy laugh laced into it. _"It's just funny... That's my wish, too."_

You'd never thought a flower could ever make you cry before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bonus part happens about ten years later, and this is set in a universe where Sans and Gaster kept in touch and Gaster hired Sans as his assistant much sooner. They completed work on The Void at the same time as the other AU, when Sans was nineteen, and the reason they didn't finish sooner (despite Sans starting work there sooner) was because work on the Core was slowed down in this AU. Gaster still fucks up and gets himself erased in the end, and Sans is still not okay with that.


	6. Pills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Body image issues, Sans has unhealthy coping mechanisms, life succs, mention of eating disorders, and suicide. You've been warned. 
> 
> In which you notice things you would have rather ignored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be careful reading this chapter, as it might trigger you in some way for the mentioned reasons above. I wrote this while I was in a bad mood. This is a vent fic tbh. This is your second warning. Head back now if you don't wanna read stuff like this.

You hadn't moved much in days.

Try as hard as you may, your body didn't wanna cooperate with what your brain was saying. You told yourself you had to get up, that Papyrus couldn't raise himself, and you had to make money to keep him fed and happy. But then, Papyrus had left for a week for a sleepover at Undyne's, and you were having a hard time finding a reason to leave your bed.

It was hour twenty before you somehow convinced yourself to get up, and even then, it was only to go to the bathroom. You retreated to your room again before too long and then didn't leave again for several more hours for the same reasoning. Your legs felt like lead, your eyes felt heavy. Your hair was more dishelved than usual, and despite all the sleeping you were doing, the bags under your eyes just looked to be getting worse, making you look much older than you actually were. You looked at yourself in the mirror and felt a chill run down your spine at the fact that you couldn't even recognize yourself anymore.

You didn't know what made you think it was a good idea, but for some reason, you stepped onto the bathroom scale. It took several seconds before displaying a pixelated number on a small screen. A hundred sixty pounds... Ouch. You looked down at yourself, feeling disgusted with just how much of you there was. It didn't make any sense to you how you weighed so much when most of your day consisted of starving to death and running around the Underground to feed someone other than yourself. You had to lift your shirt and do a double take. The scale had to be broken. There was no conceivable way you could weigh that much.

But, no, the scale was right. If you wanted to, you could have grabbed handfuls of yourself. Which you did for a moment, experimentally, mostly just wondering where all the extra you had come from before you felt sick to your stomach.

You had to shove your shirt back down just to keep yourself from getting more sick.

You slid down the wall until you were sitting on the bathroom floor, arms wrapped around your midsection before your stomach growled. When was the last time you ate...? No, that didn't matter. You didn't need food. You'd obviously had too much of that already. The fact that you could even _think_ about eating after this just made you feel even worse. Your legs were shaking, your head was spinning, and now you couldn't even think of a reason to stand up from the dirty bathroom floor. You should have stayed in bed.

This wasn't the first time you'd gotten ill over how you looked. In fact, you'd started avoiding looking in the mirror a little over a year ago for that very reason. You thought you could have ignored it. After all, it wasn't your looks that were getting food on the table. But now all you could think about was the fact that the people who saw you on a daily basis could progressively see how much worse you were looking on a day to day basis. That was probably why you didn't have any friends. You were the weird, fat and ugly fifteen-year-old orphan who looked like some sort of dishelved twenty-something-year-old inoperable alcoholic. You genuinely were an eyesore, and maybe that wouldn't have mattered as much to you if you didn't have so many other things pitted against you.

You felt your bottom lip quiver as your vision blurred over with tears. Papyrus wasn't here. You let yourself break down. Hiccups and sobs wracked your small, shaking body as you wrapped your arms around yourself tighter, drawing your knees up to your chest and hiding your face there.

You were just so, so tired...

**_\-----_ **

It had taken a while for you to calm down, and by the time you had, you had a pounding headache. Your head throbbed to the same pace of your elevated heart rate, and your chest felt heavy like there was a piano sitting on it. You shakily got to your feet, feeling lightheaded as you did so. You felt grateful that your vision was so blurry right now. That meant that if you looked in the mirror, you wouldn't have to see yourself.

For good measure, though, you looked at your feet (at least you could still see those, that made you feel the tiniest bit better, but not enough for it to really improve your mood whatsoever) as you swung open the cabinet mirror. There were only a few pill bottles in here, though they were all mostly full, given that Papyrus walked his injuries off, and you slept off yours. This headache didn't feel like sleep was even going to be an option. Shakily, you grabbed the bottle of painkillers.

How many of these were you supposed to take, anyway...?

Blah, blah, blah, keep out of reach of small children. You weren't a child. Small, sure. Child, no. Legally speaking, maybe, but you were more of an adult than most adults. Take one tablet by mouth once every four hours... If overdose should occur, seek medical attention immediately.

You twisted the lid off and poured a few too many pills into your hand. Your first instinct was, of course, to put the extra pills back. But then you paused. You stilled for so long that you actually counted how many pills were in your hand. Ten. Would... That be enough to kill you...? Probably. Anything more than four within that four hour period would honestly be enough to kill you. What were these pills called, anyway? You read the label. Percocet, five hundred milligrams.

How easy it would have been to swallow all those pills and then go back to sleep, never to wake up again. It would have fixed so many things. You couldn't ignore anymore that you genuinely didn't want to keep going. But then you thought about your brother, and your twisted mind played out exactly how it would happen if you went through with this.

Your brother would walk in the door on Sunday night after spending the entire week with Undyne, who would have walked him home. He'd call out your name, and you wouldn't reply. He'd climb the stairs, yelling about how you'd better not be still asleep this late in the day as he approached your room. He'd open the door and try to wake you up, and he'd be devastated and all alone in the world when he realized you weren't gonna wake up.

So, you put nine of the pills back and took the one you were allowed to.

Your headache didn't go away, but you didn't take any more pills, scared that you wouldn't back down next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, my sister knows more about pills than I do. I had to ask her a bunch of questions about how pills work just to write this. She told me an over the counter pill like Tylenol or Advil wouldn't kill him unless he took like the entire bottle. I thought that was overkill, so I asked about a painkiller that would kill you with a smaller amount of pills, and she came up with Percocet. That, in high doses over 3,000 mg, can kill you. It's a relief my sister knows I'm using this information for my writing and not to actually attempt suicide myself *sweats* if I asked my parents, they probably would have locked me up haha.


	7. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You really, really hoped so. 
> 
>  
> 
> So I'm sick at the moment (I've been dying for like three days kms) and of course I have to take my suffering out on Sans. 
> 
> He's probably around eight or nine in this, maybe as old as ten. This is short, but drabbles aren't really supposed to be all that long tbh. 
> 
> With that said, please enjoy.

_"Awww, my poor sick baby boy...!"_

_A hand cupped your cheek and you looked up. You couldn't see her face, but her dark hair was long enough that you could see it past the white fog that concealed her appearance. Her hair was long and straight, black, the tips dyed a deep, vibrant green. She put her other hand on your forehead and compared to her first hand, this one seemed cold, while the other was warm. "You're burning up... Poor dear..."_

_You felt horrible. You couldn't breathe through your nose, it was too stuffed up, and your throat felt as dry as a desert. She ran her hand through your hair a few times before she tucked you in, and she stood up. "I'm gonna go get you some medicine, and then your dad can bring the T.V. up so you can watch cartoons. That sound good?"_

_You nodded a little, and she left the room._

When you woke up, you were no longer in your warm, soft bed in your room with the glow in the dark star stickers on the ceiling. That woman wasn't coming back to give you medicine, and your dad wasn't gonna bring the television up to your room so you could lay in bed and watch cartoons. You were in your cold room in Snowdin, on your lumpy, naked mattress that you found at the Dump that still vaguely smelled like garbage, underneath a thin sheet that you used as a blanket instead of the thick comforter from before that had stars all over it. Worst of all, you were sick, just like in the dream. But with no one to bring you medicine or cartoons, well... You felt worse than you did in the dream.

Shivers ran up and down your body as you curled up, sniffling a little and trying to wrap the sheet around yourself tighter as if the thin fabric would actually shield you from the bitter cold of your unheated room. One tired look out the window told you that it was still dark outside, so either it was so early in the morning that the closest thing the Underground had to a sun hadn't risen yet, or it was so late that it had gone down. You couldn't tell. The only thing you did know was that you felt like crap.

That woman, though... She seemed familiar. Everything about that dream seemed familiar. She'd mentioned your dad... Could that have been your mother...? If so, you just got your first glance at her in who knew how long? Even you couldn't remember how long it had been because you don't really actually remember anything about your parents; what they looked like, what their names were, where they were. You just... Woke up in the middle of Snowdin Forest one day with nothing but the clothes on your back, your brother, and some basic information about who you and your brother were. Your birthdays, your names, your ages... Everything else, including the whereabouts of your parents, or who they even were, was a mystery.

Your body convulsed a little as you coughed into your sheet, screwing your eyes tight.

You wondered if you'd ever see her again. Stars, you hoped so.


End file.
